Metal receptacle



Feb; 11, 1930. s. HAMMER METAL RECEPTACLE Filed July 13, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR 772 716 Patented Feb. 11, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAMUEL HAMMER, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR 'IO UNITED METAL BOX CO., INC., OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK METAL RECEPTACLE 1 Application filed July 13, 1927.

This invention relates to metal receptacles, and more particularly to mail boxes or receptacles such as are usually provided in apartment houses, hotels and other large r buildings for receiving the mail of the tenants residing therein, and has for its primary object and purpose to provide certain improvements in a mail box of the type shown and de scribed in Patent No. 1,632,762, issued June I 14, 1927, whereby the quantity production of such mail boxes may be expedited with an appreciable reduction in manufacturing costs.

It is a more particular object of my invention to provide certain improvements in the hinge construction and mounting of the upper and lower doors for the mail receiving compartments of the receptacle, enabling the doors to be very easily and quickly assembled upon the box structure. In a preferred con 9; struction this hinge means includes cooperating parts on the upper and lower door members which coact in both the open and closed positions of the upper door member to obviate the possible accidental disconnection at 5 the hinge pivot from the body of the box structure. As in the patented construction above referred to, I provide the upper and lower door members with spaced hinge arms projecting beyond one end of the respective door members. It is one of the novel features of my present construction to provide these hinge arms at their extremities with hinge pivot studs which are adapted to be received in vertically spaced openings formed through the partition walls of the box so that when the doors are assembled the hinge pivots of the lower door vare located above the hinge pivots of the upper door ,a;nd with the hingearms on the lower door disposed between and adjacent the inner sides of the hinge arms on the upper door and extending over the extremities of the latter at the hinge pivots thereof in both the open and closed positions of said upper door. It is a further novel feature of this construction to provide the'hinge arms on the upper door with guide slots concentric with the pivots of said arms and receiving the hinge pivots of the lower door. 7

It is also an additional object of my invention to provide a mail box structure of this Serial No. 205,290.

type wherein theface plate is notprovided with mullion strips or webs separating the upper doors from the lower doors and the several lower doors from each other and in which the upper door is provided with means located below the hinge pivot of the lower door to cooperate with the hinge arms of the latter door when the same is moved to its open position to latch said door in such open posit1on.

It is also an additional object of the present improvements to provide upon the inner face of the lower door a stamped reinforcing plate having a rolled or beaded edge at the upper edge of the door serving as a guard to pre vent direct contact of the mail matter with the sharp edge of the door plate by which it might be torn or mutilated.

lVith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the improved metal receptacle and in the form, construction and relative arrangement of the several parts as will be hereinafter more fully described. illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and subsequently incorporated in the subjoined claims. i

In the drawings, wherein I have shown one simple and practical embodiment of the invention, and in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a multicompartment mail boX or receptacle embody, ing my present improvements;

2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 22' of Fig. 1, the upper master door being shown in open position Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation, the upper door being open and shown in section substantially as indicated by the line 3'3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an elevated vertical sectional View taken on the line k4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to Fig. 4 showing the upper master door in open position;

Fig. 6 is a similar sectional tiew showing one of the lower tenants, doors in open position;

Fig. 7' is a detail vertical section through the hinge pivots of the upper and lower doors as indicated by the line 77 in Fig. 6, and

Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view through one of the hinge pivots of the lower doors illustrating a slightly modified construction. Referring in detail to the drawings, the sheet metal box structure generally indicated at 5 may be of the construction shown in the patent above referred to or of any other approved form and construction as now gener ally used in the art in connection with mail boxes or receptacles of this character. This box structure is usually mounted or set into a recess or cavity formed in the face of the building wall and as herein shown, a front frame plate 6 which consists of a continuous rectangular strip of brass or other suitable metal, is secured to the front edges of the top, bottom and side walls of the receptacle at the open side of the latter which is substantially flush with the face of the building wall.

As herein shown, the interior of the box or receptacle is divided by a plurality of spaced partitions into a series of separate compartments of substantially uniform area extending the full length of the box. As herein shown, each of these compartments is formed from a plate of sheet metal bent upon itself to provide spaced parallel sections 7, thus providing a double-walled partition. This partition is arranged within the box structure, with the bend therein connecting the sections 7 substantially in line with the inner face of the front frame plate 6. The rear vertical edges of the partition section 7 and the upper and lower end edges thereof may be welded or otherwise suitably secured to the rear, top and bottom walls respectively, of the body structure of the box. In the present instance, I have shown the box provided with two such double walled partitions, thus affording the three mail receiving co1n= partments 8.

Substantially the upper half of each of the compartments 8 is adapted to be closed by a master door. As herein shown, this master door preferably consists of a one piece plate 9 of brass. To the inner face of this master door plate, spaced reinforcing plates 10 of sheet steel are welded or otherwise permanently secured, said reinforcing plates corresponding in number to the number of the compartments 8, and one of said plates carrying the usual post office lock indicated at 11, of which of course, only the postman possesses the proper key. The bolt of this lock engages a suitable keeper means on the top wall of the box structure.

Preferably, each of the reinforcing plates 10 is provided at its longitudinal side edges with the flanges 12 extending at right angles to the plane of the door, the said flanges at one of their ends being increased in width and projecting laterally upon an arc to provide the curved hinge arms 13 extending longitudinally beyond one end of the master door plate and having reduced end portions 14 projecting towards the end edge of the door plate. To the extremities of these end portions 14 of the hinge arms 13 the hinge pivot studs 15 are suitably fixed and project from the outer faces of said arms. The curved section of each of these hinge arms 13 is provided with a slot 16 therein extending for substantially the full length of the curved portion of the arm and in concentric relation to the pivot stud 15.

Each reinforcing plate 10 is further provided in spaced relation to the inner side of each hinge arm 13 with a lug 17 struck outwardly therefrom and extending at right angles to the plane of the door plate, each of said lugs being provided with an opening 17 therein for a purpose which will be hereinafter explained.

The lower half of each compartment 8 of the box structure is closed by means of an individual tenants door 18. Each of these doors is also provided upon its inner face with a sheet steel reinforcing plate 19 which is similar in construction to the plates 10 above referred to and is provided with the side flanges 20 terminating at one of their ends in the curved hinge arms 21 projecting beyond the end of the door plate and having the reversely extended end portions 22. These end portions of the hinge arms 21 likewise carry hinge pivot studs 23, which however, are of somewhat greater length than the pivot studs 15 on the hinge arms of the upper master door. In spaced relation to each pivot stud 23, the hinge arm is indented to provide a protuberance or projection 24 on the inner side face thereof.

At the other end of each of the tenants doors 18, the reinforcing plate 19 thereon hinge arms 21 thereon is formed with a rounded bead as indicated at 26 to provide a smooth convex surface.

Each of the sections 7 of the double walled partitions, adjacent the bend at the front edge thereof is provided at the proper predetermined points with vertically spaced openings as indicated at 27 which are adapted to receive the pivot studs 15 and 23 on the hinge arms of the upper and lower door members.

In assembling the doors upon the box structure, the upper master door 9 is first arranged in place. In the normal positions of the adjacent hinge arms 13 on the respective reinforcing plates 10, the aligned pivotstuds 23 on these arms are substantially in contact with eachother, and therefore, in order to admit of the insertion of said hinge arms within thebox structure adjacent to the vertical partition walls, it is necessary to apply considerable force and resiliently press said adjacent hinge arms apart until the pivot studs 23 ride upon the side faces of the sections 7 of the partition walls. WVhen these pivot studs are then brought into alignment with the openings 27 of the partition walls, the hinge arms will resume their normal positions in right angular relation to the plane of the door plate, and the pivot studs will be thereby projected through said openings in the partition walls.

After having thus fitted the pivot studs 15 of the upper door member through the lower openings 27 in the partition walls, each individual tenants door is then applied in a similar manner, the hinge arms 21 being first resiliently moved under pressure inwardly so that they may extend into one of the box compartments'and inwardly of the hinge arms 13 on the upper master door. Thus, when the pressure on the arms 21 is released permitting them to return to their normal positions, the pivot studs .23 thereon are projected through the curved slots 16 in the hinge arms 13 and when said studs are brought into alignment with the upper openings 27 in the partition walls, they are further projected through said openings until the hinge arms 21 assume a position in close parallel relation to the hinge arms 13 "and extending over the inner sides of the latter arms. In this manner, it will be evident that the upper and lower doors for the box compartments may be very easily and quickly mounted or 2218- sembled upon the box structure and in proper relation to each other, and it will be observed that by means of'such arrangement, the pivot studs 23 on :the hinge arms of the lower doors projecting through the slots 16 on the hinge arms of the upper master door provide a plurality of guides for said upper door, the inner ends .of said slots, bycontact with the pivot studs 23, limiting the outward and downward swinging movement of the master door to a substantially horizontal open position as seen in Fig. 55 of the drawings, and preventing contact ofthe edges of the hinge varms 13 against the upper edges of the lower tenants doors 18. It will further be noted that in this openposition of the upper master door as well as in the closed position thereof, the hinge arms 13 on the lower doors adjacent their juncture with the flanges 20 of the rein forcing plates extend over the narrowed end portions 14 of the hinge arms 13 carrying the pivot studs 15, thus tending to prevent the possible displacement of said pivot studs from the openings'27 in the partition walls.

"When the tenant desires-to remove his mail, he unlocks the proper door 18, and then swings the same to an upwardly extending obliquely inclined position above the lower edge of the master door 9 and until the'end portions 22 of the hinge arms abut against gne ofthe reinforcing plates on said master oor. door to the full open position, the projections 24 on the ends 2201? the hinge arms engage the lugs 17 struck from the reinforcing plate on the master door and spring Said lugs slightly from their normal positions so that the projections 22 will ride upon the outer faces thereof and snap into the openings 15? of said lugs, thereby securely latching the door 18 in its open position and sustaining the same against a downward swinging gravity movement to the closed position. In this open position of the tenants door, it will be observed that the tenant has a clear and unobstructed view of the entire lower portion of the mail receiving compartment so that he can observe at a glance whet-her or not any mail is contained therein. V V

lVhen the upper master door is open and the lower tenants doors closed for the insertion of the mail by the postman into the box compartments, it will be noted that the beaded edges 26 of thereinforcing plates on the lower doors provide smooth convex surfaces protecting large bulky pieces of mail, and preventing their possible mutilation by direct contact with the sharp upper edges of the lower metal door plates 18, I

In the above description, I have disclosed a form and construction of the hinge means for the upper and lower doors which has been found entirely satisfactory in practical tests thereof and is advantageous, in that manufacturing costs are thereby lowered, Wh le at the same time the doors may be very eas ly and quickly assembled in operative position upon the box structure. However, in Fig.8 of the drawings I have illustrated an alternative form of the hinge pivots for the box doors, .in which construction instead of providing the pivot studs on the hinge arms of the doors, said vhinge arms will be merely provided with openings to receive the hinge pivot studs which are fixed in the vertical partitions. In the illustrated example, I may conveniently form this fixed pivot stud from a section of cold rolled steel tubing as indicated at .28 which is of the proper pre determined length and which is adapted to be initially inserted through the openings 27 in the spaced sections ofthe partition avail, said tubular stud having a more or less tight frictional lit in said openings and being arranged to 7 project for an equal distance from opposite sides of the partitions. means of a suitable tool then insertedinto one end of this tubular stud, the central. portion thereof between the spaced sections'of the partition wall is spun outwardly tof-orm an annular locking rib thus per nanengl fi e ing the stud in place. After the two ver tically spaced pivot studs have thus been attached to the partition walls, the upper In this final movement of the tenant sand lower doors are then assembled and the studs engaged through the openings in the respective hinge arms, after which the extremities of the tubular hinge studs are then burred or flanged outwardly as at 30 to retain the hinge arms in connection therewith.

Of course it will be understood that the hinge arms at the opposite side edges of the master door and at the outer side edges of the lower end doors 18 are pivotally mounted and supported in the same manner as above described upon the end body walls of the box structure. Of course,when the tubular form of pivot stud 28 is secured in these side walls of the box, it is not provided with the central locking rib 29 but one end of the stud is merely flanged over upon the outer side face of the box wall.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that the several novel features of my present disclosure will be clearly and fully understood. It will be seen that I provide a very compact arrangement of the master door and the lower individual doors with respect to each other while at the same time obtaining a substantial support for the several doors at their hinged ends upon the body of the box structure and completely con- :ealing the hinge-parts and rendering the same entirely inaccessible from the outer side of the box so that it is not possible for one to remove the doors at the hinges and in such manner obtain access to the box compartments. Nevertheless, if for any reason it becomes necessary to remove any one of ings in the box walls." These reinforcing plates having the hinge arms formed thereon are of sufiiciently heavy gauge steel so that in the ordinary usage of the structure, the hinge arms will maintain a permanent position with respect to the door plate, and effectually prevent the casual displacement of the.

pivot studs'which would release the door from its operative connection with the box structure.

I have herein shown and described a mail box having three separate compartments, but it will of course, be manifest that such boxes might be made in the same manner with any desired number of the compartments in accordance with the number of tenants occupying the building or the number of apartments therein. Also, while I prefer to employ the hinge arms on the box doors substantially in the form shown, in certain aspects of my present improvements, the formand construction of these hinge arms might be variously modified. It is however, to be observed that in the arrangement shown, I am enabled to secure a very close relationship between the lower end edge of the master door and the upper end edges of the lower tenants doors without interference of said doors with each other in their movements to open or closed positions. Further, other structural alternatives for the various parts of the invention as herein illustrated and described might be resorted to, and it is accordingly to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all such legitimate modifications in the form, construction and relative arrangement of the several parts as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim v 1. A receptacle having a compartment open at one side, upper and lower doors completely closing the open side of the compartment, each of said doors having hinge arms projecting longitudinally beyond one end thereof, and hinge pivot members connecting said arms at their free ends with the opposite side walls of the compartment, the hinge arms on the upper door having guide means constantly engaged with the pivot members of the hinge arms on the lower door and slidably coacting with said pivot members to limit the swinging movement of the upper door to its open position.

2. A receptacle having a compartment open at one side, upper and lower doors completely closing the open side of the compartment and having their opposed end edges in closely adjacent relation, each of said doors having hinge arms projecting longitudinally beyond one end thereof, and hinge pivot members connecting said arms at their free ends with the opposite side walls of the compartment, said members being respectively spaced above and below the adjacent end edges of the upper and lower doors, the hinge arms on the upper door having slots therein through which the pivot members of the.

hinge arms on the lower door are positioned and limiting the swinging movement of the upper door to its open position.

3. A receptacle having a compartment open at one side, upper and lower doors completely closing the open side of the compartment and having their opposed ends in closely contlguous relation to each other, each of said doors being provided at said end and on cent planes and the hinge arms on one of the doors extending over the inner sides of the pivoted ends of the hinge arms on the other door and preventing displacement of the pivot studs of the latter hinge arms from the openings in the receptacle walls.

4. A receptacle having a compartment open at one side, upper and lower doors completely closing the open side of the compartment and having their opposed ends in closely contiguous relation to each other, each of said doors being provided at said end and on one side thereof with longitudinally projecting hinge arms, pivot studs carried by the free ends of said hinge arms, the side walls of said receptacle compartment adjacent the open side thereof having vertically spaced openings to receive said pivot studs and support said doors for vertical swinging movement in relatively opposite directions, the hinge arms on the lower door being positioned between the hinge arms on the upper door and at all times extending over the pivoted ends of the latter hinge arms to prevent displacement of the pivot studs thereof from the openings in the receptacle walls.

5. A receptacle having a compartment open at one side, upper and lower doors completely closing the open side of the compartment and having their opposed ends in closely contiguous relation to each other, each of said doors being provided at said end and on one side thereof with longitudinally proj ecting hinge arms, pivot studs carried by the free ends of said hinge arms, the side walls of said receptacle compartment adjacent the open side thereof having vertically spaced openings to receive said pivot studs and support said doors for vertical swinging move ment in relatively opposite directions, the hinge arms on the lower door being positioned between the hinge arms on the upper door and at all times extending over the pivotedends of the latter hinge arms to prevent displacement of the pivot studs thereof from the openings in the receptacle walls, and the hinge arms on the upper door being provided with slots therein receiving the pivot studs of the hinge arms on the lower door cooperating therewith to limit the movement of the upper door to its open position.

6. A mail box having a receptacle open at one side, upper and lower doors completely closing the open side of the receptacle and having their opposed ends in closely contiguous relation, hinge arms projecting from the inner face of each of the doors at said end thereof, means hingedly connecting said arms at their free ends with the opposite side walls of the receptacle and supporting the doors for vertical swinging movement in relatively opposite directions, yieldable latch parts projecting from the inner face of the upper door, and the hinge arms on said lower door having projections thereon in spaced relation to the hinge" pivot adapted to cooperate with said the compartments for closing the upper end portions thereof, a plurality of relatively yieldable hinge arms projecting longitudinally from the inner side of the door and provided on their free ends with hinged pivot studs adapted for engagement in the lower openings in the box walls, a separate door for closing the lower end portion of each compartment, each of the latter doors having relatively yieldable hinge arms projecting longitudinally from the upper end thereof and provided with hinge pivot studs at their free ends for engagement in the upper openings of the box walls, and the hinge arms on the master door being provided with slots therein concentric with the hinge axis of said door and receiving the pivot studs on the hinge arms of the lower doors.

8. A receptacle having a compartment open at one side, upper and lower doors completely closing the open side of the compartment, the opposed ends of said doors being provided with hinge arms projecting longitudinally beyond said end of the door, pivot studs carried by the free ends of said hinge arms, the side walls of the receptacle compartment adj acent the open side thereof having vertically spaced openings to receive said pivot studs and support said doors for vertical swinging movement in relatively opposite directions, the adjacent hinge arms of said doors being movable in closely contiguous vertical planes and the hinge arms on one of said doors at all times intersecting the longitudinal hinge axis of the arms on the other door to prevent displacement of the pivot studs of the latter hinge arms from the openings in the receptacle walls.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name hereto.

S AMUEL HAMMER. 

